Energy Crisis

Seasonal Drops:

Do you ever notice your energy slipping away as the cool winds start to blow in? Summer tends to boost our energy because the days stay lighter later and we tend to be energized by the sun and beautiful weather. As Fall nears, I start to think about my energy levels and how each year they slowly decline until I find myself in the depths of Winter struggling to keep my eyes open on the train ride home. Here are a few tips:

• Get your ZZZ's. When you lack sleep you energy level obviously takes a nose dive. They have connected lack of sleep with increased weight gain as well. Getting enough ZZZ's can help to keep your energy level consistent. Try for 7-8 hours per night. Also, try to keep your routine fairly consistent during the weekend as well. If you bounce around between 8 hours during the week and only 5 hours on the weekend, your body is likely to have more trouble getting into a sleep routine. You will deplete the energy that you gain from the week and find it hard to "catch up".


• Take your vitamin. Although, I never recommend that people fall back on their multivitamin in lieu of an adequate diet, they can certainly help to fill in the gaps of a diet missing a few essentials like B's for example. You don't necessarily have to go spending tons of money on fancy vitamins. Consumer labs had issued a report that showed that generic brands were just as potent as more expensive brands. I even like Flintstones myself.


• Drink plenty of fluids. Water too boring for you? Throw some lemon or lime slice in. You can also dilute 100% fruit juices down so that you avoid the calories and sugar, but get the flavor. You can also make your very own Juice Cubes to pop right into your water bottle for a dash of flavor!This works particularly well for kids because you can get cute ice cube trays and give them 1 or who cute shapes in their water glass.


• Strike up a comfort food Balance your plate. Don't fall prey to hunkering down and only eating "comfort foods" during the Fall and Winter. Balance your plate and your weekly meals between typical high calorie, higher fat comfort foods such as chili and cream based soups, macaroni n' cheese, and heavier meat based dishes with healthier comfort foods such as minestrone soup or vegetable based soups, veggie filled casseroles, warm fruit desserts and tarts and vegetable and fruit breads.
• Move! This sometimes gets more difficult to do as the weather cools down. It can be hard to leave the warmth of your cozy apartment or house to get to the gym or yoga studio, but exercise is just what the doctor ordered for lagging energy. Mark your calendar with the days you will make it to the gym that week. After each workout write down a few words about how the workout made you feel. Whenever you feel like backing out of a workout look at that calendar on the fridge and read the motivating words you wrote to yourself. Also, keep your workout clothes right in your car and drive straight to the gym. It is much harder to come home and leave than it is to just get yourself there.

Daily Drops:

It is natural for energy levels to wax and wane throughout the day, but 3-5 pm is an actual documented energy lag time for our natural body clock. Fight the clock with a few important steps.

• Drink water. Avoid the caffeine trap here. The caffeine will give you a quick boost, but may actually make your lethargy worse in the long run. Water will sufficiently hydrate you without the calories and caffeine to boot.


• Get up! Move around your office, take a walk down the hall or walk up and down a few flights of stairs. It gets the blood moving and rejuvenates you to continue on with your day.


• Close your eyes and do 8 solid deep breathes. Breathing helps to boost our oxygen uptake within our cells. Your spirit will feel rejuvenated and you will also feel a nice stress relief as well.
• Eat a piece of fruit. You get the added benefit of the natural sugar boost, but you also get additional fiber and vitamins that you wouldn't get from a Milky Way.

7-Day Nutrition Goals: Note when you start to feel an energy drop throughout the day. Take one action step today or this weekend to stay energized!